Mahima Weerakoon of Nalanda College, Colombo gave a fine all-round performance in the 2020-21 season of the Under 19 Division One inter-Schools Cricket (Two day) tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association.
Right hand batsman and right arm off spinner Mahima Weerakoon scored 577 runs and claimed 35 wickets
Mahima Chamindu Bandara Weerakoon was born on 23rd September in 2000 in Pannipitiya. He attended Dharmapala College Pannipitiya in 2006. He started cricket at the school under the guidance of K.G. Wimalasena, Principal and S.M. Senanayake was his first coach in 2011. He led the college Under 13 B team in 2011. He scored more than 150 runs and took over 15 wickets. He was promoted to A team in 2012. He scored more than 200 runs and claimed four wickets in 2012. He scored more than 250 runs and claimed 12 wickets as the skipper in the under 13 season in 2013.
He scored more than 300 runs in the under 15 season in 2014. He represented Colombo District South under 15 in the Prima Champions trophy inter district tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2014. He scored more than 300 runs and claimed nine wickets in the under 15 cricket season in 2015. His best bowling figures were 5 for 39 against Dharmapala Vidyalaya Kottawa. He represented Colombo District South under 15 and Western Province South under 15 in the under 15 Prima Champions trophy inter district and inter provincial tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2015. He was a member of the Sri Lanka Schools under 15 team to Malaysia in 2015. He was selected for the Under 15 National Spin squad.
Mahima led the college under 17 team under the guidance of Oshara Panditharatne, Principal and Sanjaya Devapura senior coach. He scored 262 runs and his best knock was an unbeaten 72 runs against Mahanama College Colombo. He claimed 22 wickets including best figures of 5 wickets for 5 runs against S. Thomas’ College Mount. Lavinia in 2016.
Mahima Weeerakoon represented the college under 19 team as a fresher in the season of 2014/15. He scored only 115 runs and claimed 16 wickets. His best bowling performance was 4 wickets for 36 runs against Maris Stella College Negombo. He was a member of the big match squad of Dharmapala College against Rahula College Matara in 2015. He scored 350 runs and claimed 35 wickets in the under 19 season of 2015/16. His best bowling performance was 5 wickets for 10 runs against President’s College Kotte. Mahima was deputy skipper in the first XI team in the season of 2016/2017. He scored 464 runs and claimed 35 wickets. He claimed 8 wickets for 87 runs against Prince of Wales College Moratuwa. He took 12 wickets for 90 runs against Maliyadeva College Kurunegala. He won the best batsman and best fielder awards in the Big match against Rahula College Matara in 2016.
He joined Nalanda College, Colombo in 2017. He represented Nalanda in the under 17 tournament under the guidance of Thilak Wattuhewa, Principal and Keerthi Gunaratne senior coach. He scored more than 200 runs and claimed 24 wickets. His best figure were 5 wickets for 23 runs against Carey College Colombo.
He represented the first XI team at Nalanda and scored more than 200 runs and claimed 16 wickets in 2017/18. He represented the Nalanda team in the 44th One day encounter in 2018. He claimed 36 wickets with a best of 5 for 43 runs against S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia. in 2018/19 season under the guidance of Shanuka Dissanayake head coach. He scored more than 350 runs with two fifties. His best batting performance was 59 runs against Mahinda College Galle. He played in the 90th Battle of the Maroons and 45th One Day encounter in 2019.
He scored more than 550 runs with three fifties. His best batting performance was an unbeaten 82 runs against Mahanama College, Colombo. He took 35 wickets with best bowling figures of 7 wickets for 33 runs against Mahinda College Galle. He played in the 91st Battle of the Maroons in 2020. He played division three club tournament for Old Nalandian SC
He scored more than 1500 runs in 79 under 19 matches for both schools with five half centuries. His best batting performance was 82 runs against Mahanama College, Colombo (2019/20). He claimed 158 wickets.
Mahima helped Nalanda College Colombo advance to the quarter finals of under 19 division One two day tournament in 2019/20.
How he fared in last season vs St. Sylvester’s Kandy 08, 1/02, & 1/21, vs Thurstan, Colombo 30 & 0/13, vs St. Peter’s, Bambalapitiya 31, 01 & 1/36, St. Anthony’s, Wattala 11, 30, 1/27 & 3/14, vs Dharmapala, Pannipitiya 24, 13 & 0/24, vs Dharmasoka, Ambalangoda 24, 13, 2/34 & 2/51, vs St. Servatius’, Matara 17, 4/30 & 1/38, vs Gurukula, Kelaniya 10, 13, 3/3 & 0/6, vs Devapathiraja, Rathgama 73 & 0/49, vs Trinity, Kandy 25, 37 & 1/13, vs S. Thomas’, Mt. Lavinia 42, 0/20 & 0/21, vs Mahanama Colombo 82, 0/6 & 0/13, vs Dharmaraja, Kandy 14, 52 & 0/4, vs Maliyadeva, Kurunegala 08, 18 & 3/48, vs Mahinda, Galle 12, 7/33 & 1/69, vs St. Sebastian’s, Moratuwa 09, 3/15 & 1/44, vs Ananda, Colombo (Big match) 0, 1/26 & 0/28.
(Y.K.)
